#anyway you're so right anon

[crepegosette]

Trans america is best America

you're damn right

[statementlou]

https://www.tumblr.com/louisupdates/754934426217152513/goodbye-faith-in-the-future-world-tour-272024?source=share

did he or did he not lose fans then?

I will answer this because this anon actually brings a concrete question to the table rather than just "hurhur but you're a larrie??" (tell me you can't actually refute any of our points…). Anyway this post shows the decrease in Louis instagram followers between the screenshots taken directly after the release of Faith in the Future in Nov '22, when he changed his bio to promote that album and the tour tickets, and now, when he changed it again to mention the current release. But I'm putting that response under a cut because I'm tired of the actual POINT of all this nonsense getting lost in a sea of made up things people insist are important:

There is no rational argument you can make to say that Louis has less fans now than he did 2, 4, or 6 years ago. You don't need a spreadsheet of details you need to USE YOUR EYES! He has gone from filling theaters to filling arenas and stadiums. His second album made a higher chart position than his first album. His festival has doubled in size EVERY year of its existence. And for that matter: his insta post engagement numbers remain about the same (despite the fact that older posts should have way MORE likes due to having been there longer, even aside from follower counts.) SO WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT HIS INSTA FOLLOWER NUMBER???? Serious question: what does the word "fans" mean if these things aren't what matters? ALL of this quibbling about what he should do to make things better and people can't even see that THINGS AREN'T BAD.

Anyway to address the specific question- (con't......)

NO- HE DID NOT LOSE FANS. HE LOST SOME INSTA FOLLOWERS. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING. As I said above, literally what does it mean to lose fans if that number change coincides with him having higher sales, more audience members, and higher engagement than ever before? Whatever he lost ISN'T FANS. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant factor was something like a bot purge, but also yes: I'm sure a lot of casuals followed him around the time of his big album release and later unfollowed him. That's extremely normal because that's how casual engagement works, and why the definition of fan really matters. Louis and his team understand this and have referenced it repeatedly, talking about how lucky he is to have *us* specifically, to have the kind of dedicated fanbase he has, to have the KIND of fans he does who will allow him to do what HE wants. @dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram named the issue of depth vs breadth with regard to fans a long time ago, and pointed out why having DEPTH is so much more important. It's like this- artists who are on top 40 radio have more numbers on things like insta follows, and for a time on sales and tickets. But those aren't FANS- they're people with a casual interest. And as soon as that person isn't being forced in their ears 10x a day, those people lose interest and stop supporting them, stop buying stuff and unfollow, and those artists end up doing the 'opener on the jingle ball' circuit rather than their own tours. One Direction as a whole, and Louis maybe most of all or near to at this point, have something MUCH MORE VALUABLE than that- DEPTH FANS. Louis has fans who will support him even if he takes years to release music, or stops parading around with a pretend girlfriend to stay in the headlines at least once a month, or completely changes his image and genre, and that is UNHEARD OF. It's ASTONISHING and worth SO MUCH MORE. And they get that! THAT is why he always bragging about us, why industry people he works with are always so agog about us, why he will do anything for US- not for randos. He is also growing his breadth- and it's OBVIOUSLY WORKING whatever his follower counts are, but that is always going to be secondary to doing things for THE FANDOM because that is his sustainable business model. That is what keeps him onstage and reaching number one. And not coincidentally, the things they do are also working to grow that- much more valuable- commodity. So the fact that that's exactly what these chuckleheads complain about- that he does things that are just fandom facing or serving rather than everything being aimed at recruiting casual fans- does nothing but betray how completely they, unlike Louis and his team, misunderstand the actual drivers of his (actual, existing, happening) success. Luckily for Louis, he and his team rely on their own data harvesting (they do a LOT of it) and growth metrics (they're off the charts) rather than the smug assumptions of random (mostly quite new to this) fans and the few bitter people leading the complaining about everything Louis does.

[necrotic-nephilim]

Do you have any fucked up babscass headcanons? This is vaguely for the ask game but I’m curious. I’ve also had a vision of dick being drawn into their dubiously consensual mommy kink thing, probably unwillingly. I just love the idea of babs being her teacher for everything normal, like yes on some level it is grooming but cass knows everyone’s intentions automatically, could babs really make her do anything she didn’t want to do?

for the ask game!

GOD YES. i love BabsCass. just. so dearly. they're so fucked up. and adding Dick to the mix is *also* so so fun. the concepts of how consent plays into it all when Cass knows everyone's intentions and feelings (sometimes before they themselves do) but Babs still holding clear power over Cass and how vulnerable Cass is emotionally it's just. good soup i tell you.

so, i think it's fun, if in a way, Babs has always been slightly jealous of Bruce. after becoming Oracle by means out of her control, she works with other heroes sure, but she doesn't have a protege. she watched with Dick and Bruce, how close of a bond Batman and Robin is. how Bruce got to shape and mold Dick into the hero he's become and the reverence Dick has for Bruce. there's such a nuance to that relationship, and Babs wants it for herself. the first person to carry on the Batgirl torch is Helena, something she violently disapproves of. so for her to give Batgirl to Cass, that's significant. it's both a sign of acceptance, and a sign of ownership. it's basically her way of saying to Bruce "this one's mine." and thus, their relationship reflects it. because it's easy to seak out a close bond with Cass, who's never had anyone show her love and affection with no strings. Babs' love is unconditional. and Cass wants to bury herself in it. she knows it's romantic and possibly sexual, but Babs doesn't sexualize Cass the way men do. there's no leering comments or objectification. Babs is kind and respectful, so Cass doesn't mind. she even leans into it. there's something nice in being appreciate for something other than how good of a weapon she makes. and Babs' touch is just. something Cass craves. Babs wants to respect boundaries, but Cass is practically crawling into her lap after certain rough missions, just for the companionship.

i think it's fun if the mommy kink starts with Cass. sure, Babs has been carefully guiding Cass toward being comfortable with sexual things. Cass is regularly naked around Babs with no problem, she lets Babs touch her anywhere. but it's when Babs is holding Cass that Cass talks about how she doesn't know who her mother is and she wishes she knew what having a mother felt like. and sure, Cass knows that Babs isn't entirely motherly. not when her hand is resting inside of Cass' pants at that very moment. but this is the closest thing she has. i enjoy the idea of Cass knowing that this isn't normal. sure, she doesn't fully understand relationships, but she knows mother/daughter and dating are different. but it's a two birds one stone kind of thing. she's so convinced she's not going to find enough people to love her to fill all the "roles" in her life, why not combine the two. after all, Dick and Bruce are doing it. so when Cass brings it up, Babs lets Cass call her mommy. it's a soothing thing, more than a kink thing. and it delightfully plays into Babs' hand for how she wants to groom Cass, giving her more control and trust over Cass. it's easy to get Cass to side with her instead of Bruce when she just has to stroke Cass' hair and praise her whenever she does what Babs want. Cass is so used to negative reinforcement that she'll take any kind of positive reinforcement, even if she knows it's slightly manipulative. sometimes, what matters to her the most is just that someone wants to protect and take care of her in the first place.

i love the idea of Dick getting dragged in unwillingly so much. Cass has very high standards for what a mentor/partner/mother figure should look like because of how reverently Babs treats her. and Cass is known for being critical of Bruce's methods. so when Bruce is particularly cruel to Dick, or that have a nasty argument that Cass witnesses and Bruce possibly even hits Dick, that's when Dick gets dragged in. it starts with Babs inviting him to just eat dinner and chill out with Babs and Cass in the Clocktower. then he's being invited to stay the night more and more often so he doesn't have to crash at Wayne Manor when he's in Gotham. the first time he wakes up with Cass sleeping next to him, he doesn't comment on it. he knows what it's like to be so tired you just crash on the nearest bed. it's when he notices that he's being more and more separated from Bruce, that Dick starts to notice something is off. he's never commented on what's going on between Babs and Cass bc well, he's one to talk. but now he's caught between them. Cass and Babs don't even have to talk, they just wordlessly know they're on the same page about bringing Dick into the fold. for Cass, it's genuinely to protect him. she's happy with Babs, and she wants Dick to feel happy in that way too, with someone who's not as emotionally closed off as Bruce. and Cass just wants as many close relationships as she can get. and for Babs, there is genuine attraction there. she and Dick almost flirted with dating before, and nows her chance to have him and finally beat Bruce. and as unwilling as Dick is, it's hard to say no when they're being so gentle with him. he keeps telling himself he's going to set hard boundaries and tell them no, eventually. but Babs has the manipulation down pat, and Cass is so gentle and loving, Dick just gets swept in too deep. they both know he's unwillingly, but to Cass, that's just how love works. you have to be talked into it sometimes because you don't realize you deserve it.

Babs teaching Cass about sex my *beloved*. first, it's just Cass and Babs. Babs showing Cass how she can feel good, how she can make Babs feel good. but now with Dick, they have a whole new person for Babs to see to teach Cass about sex. Dick has to be talked into it by Babs, who paints it as a learning opportunity for Cass. I just. I love throuple dynamics where one person is basically being used as a toy for the dom to tell the third person to use, and that fits them so well. Dick is just a toy, a prop basically. and Babs is guiding Cass through it, teaching her how to make Dick feel good, how to ride him. I like the idea of Babs edging both of them until she feels like Cass has "learned" enough. which is clearly just part of the kink, corrupting Cass. and they all know it, but it's an unspoken thing. even more fun if Babs gives Cass some token form of control, letting Cass control when Dick can come. and to Cass, edging is a natural part of sex, so she also tortures Dick like that, bringing him to the edge and holding him there no matter how much he begs. sometimes, Dick just watches Cass and Babs have sex and learns what they like through that. he learns Babs is a sadist, but she has to be careful with it. Cass views pain strictly as a very negative punishment and the last thing Babs wants to do is lose the trust she has built up with Cass. so she avoids pain for the longest time. it's Dick who notices Babs itching to hurt someone, so to make sure it's not Cass, Dick offers himself. and Cass watches as Babs hurts Dick, and Dick *likes* it. maybe impact play, maybe some CBT, that sort of stuff, just testing the waters of how far Babs can take it with Dick. it makes Cass curious enough to try it, both sadism and masochism. she finds it takes a lot for her to enjoy masochism, but in the right applications, it's nice. there's something about letting herself feel pain, which she was never allowed before. pain is something to be compartmentalized and worked through. so there's something nice about turning her brain off and just feeling. especially if she's being hurt while she's in Babs or Dick's arms, bc she knows she's safe. both of them have become her safe space to explore new things during sex.

eventually, Dick comes to mostly accept being part of the relationship. he realizes he's in too deep when Cass casually calls him her boyfriend in front of Bruce just to make Bruce stutter. they're all adults, so it's not something Bruce can fight too hard. and Dick does have to admit, Cass has a point. there's far less arguing and fighting in this relationship. the grooming practically works better on Dick than it did Cass, bc now he's just accepted it and is going along with everything. he starts initiating sex, with either of them separately or together, just bc he likes giving up control to them. he likes the way Cass is gentle when she's domming, taking control from him without even asking and just taking care of him. and when Babs is in control, she's a little meaner, a bit rougher, but sometimes, he needs that too. sometimes he just likes to watch the two of them, see Cass call Babs mommy while she's crying and begging for anything. it's carnal and just fascinating to watch, even if he doesn't get off to it. seeing how much they love each other and how much they love him makes his head spin, because being with Bruce was nothing like this. Bruce rarely talks about his feelings, rarely said he loved Dick. meanwhile Cass and Babs will say it about a dozen times a day. maybe it's manipulative, but they make it sound so genuine, he can't bring himself to care. and Cass is pleased Dick is finally giving him, letting himself be loved. Babs is pleased to have control of both Dick and Cass. all of them are getting something out of it so really, what's there to complain about?

[stormyoceans]

omg I was the AU genre anon and yes this is perfect!! I love this ideas so much! Esp the paranormal one bc the potential for shenanigans is sooo good. A Bridgerton type period piece is also amazing, like instead of following siblings you follow the core 5 w the classic period tropes of marriage of convenience, trying to matchmake your friend but falling for them instead, etc. These guys are so fun to put into Situations

OH IM SO HAPPY YOU LIKED MY GENRE AUs ANON!!!!!!!!

i didn't go too in depth about the period piece one because my answer was already getting too long and i also felt like it was a bit too close to the actual series to be interesting but the truth is that im soooo embarrassingly into it!!!!!!! in a very i wish i could write so i could turn this into a 100k long fic kind of into it ;;;;;;;;

and it really would be a sort of pride and prejudice meets bridgerton kind of story like im sorry but phumpeem and qtoey are so darcyelizabeth and bingleyjane coded!!!!!!! just imagine.. phum buys some land where peem and the others live and shows up in town with fang and toey. at the next ball everyone is obviously curious and can't wait to get to know them, especially phum who is handsome, rich, and single, but he comes off as cold and a bit rude, while fang is polite and so very charming but is already engaged with lady fai, so toey ends up becoming the town's darling and the most popular bachelor, however after that one night he only has eyes for q

peem and q are actually still painters and they're at the ball not just for pleasure but also because they were allowed to showcase their works by setting them up around the room. toey and q start talking because toey is immediately fascinated by their paintings, but when fang asks phum what he thinks about them, phum ends up mocking peem's work, which peem overhears so he swears he's never gonna like phum, no matter how handsome he might be

after that night, even if other people might think him indifferent, for peem and the others is actually obvious that q likes toey, so they keep finding the most ridiculous excuses to make them meet and push them together, however this means that peem keeps being around phum as well, and no matter how civil peem promises everyone he's gonna be, he always finds himself bickering with phum by the end of it. things only get even more complicated when phum starts falling for peem and peem meets kluen: on one hand there's kluen who is kind and sweet and unabashedly into peem, but for whom peem doesn't feel much if not a warm sympathy, while on the other there's phum who peem swore to dislike and yet might not be as bad as peem thought

and then there are tan and fang who, unbeknownst to everybody else, have met each other before and almost had a thing, but fang knew he was supposed to marry fai in the future so he pushed tan away, thinking he would never see him again, except now tan is everywhere, silently (and yet very loudly) pining for him, and fang has a hard time remembering what his duty is

and last but not least we have chain and pun who have been friends since forever and are polar opposites when it comes to romance: chain is infamous for having had some kind of flirt with almost every girl in town, while pun is known for being interested in everyone's romantic prospects except his own. however, what people don't know is that after trying to matchmake pun with a friend of one of the women he was seeing, chain fell in love with him and has been waiting for pun to get a clue, even if part of him is afraid of ruining their friendship

i just need to figure out how to fit beer, mick, and matt in all of this too ;;;;;;;

ANYWAY. GENUINELY WISH I COULD WRITE THIS I CAN ONLY PRAY A GOOD SOUL DOES IT INSTEAD 🙏

[piratekane]

We see more often Ava getting hurt, so could you do one where Beatrice gets hurt? I was thinking along the lines of the Otahan situation, where Adriel goes “is she your favorite” while looking at Ava

a slight deviation

"I've got plans wrapped in rubber bands," she murmurs dizzily as Beatrice storms the castle behind her. A song she heard once, but doesn't know all of it. It's no matter, her plans are coming unraveled.

And maybe the problem was, none of those plans involved Bea. A part of her laughs derisively. The only thing she should have planned for was Sister Beatrice of the Order of the Cruciform Sword doing the opposite of what she told her to do. Bea has been her one constant through all of this; the one thing she can always count on when the cards are down. Her fail safe button she's fought so long and hard against pushing.

Beatrice doesn't take the time to notice, hands flitting nervously over her body as she tries to assess the damage. Ava wonders what it looks like, what Bea's God sees when he looks down on them now, huddled together on the floor as a demonic angel towers over them. She wonders if they look small. She wonders if they look significant.

(Beatrice is significant. Beatrice is worth a thousand of everyone Ava has ever known in her life.)

And then the thought vanishes, replaced by the quiet exhale as Beatrice finds what she's looking for: wound after wound, bloodstain after bloodstain, pain leaking out from within her. She's not healing fast enough, the halo tired and worn. She's tired and worn. And the end doesn't seem to be in sight.

A laugh - hard and loud and hardly humorous - echoes around them. Ava look away from Bea with blinking eyes, vision swimming for a moment before she focuses back on Adriel, his mouth stained with blood and his teeth bared. Those hands stutter for just a moment and Ava covers them, pressing softly to let Bea know they have each other.

If nothing else, they'll have each other. And Ava knows, after hours spent pressed shoulder to shoulder in bed staring up at the odd water stain on the ceiling, being together was all they ever needed to be.

But Adriel isn't satisfied. He looks at them with mirthful eyes. He must see the way Beatrice shifts, one arm slung low around Ava as she draws Ava closer; the way that her spine straightens and Ava is folded into her; the way that, despite it all, Ava rises on unsteady legs and pushes Bea back a step.

Lilith crackles into existence behind him, like a flash in a pan. She sees them, makes eye contact with Ava before her gaze drifts to Beatrice, and then she's gone again, the air rippling around them as the Arc starts to effuse energy.

Lilith's words remain unspoken: if Adriel wants anything else from Ava, he's going to have to take it all by himself.

But Adriel isn't going to go quietly. Not after all this time, trapped away for centuries with only the glimmer of freedom sustaining him. No, he wants the Halo. And he's going to take it from her. She's ready for that. She's ready to give herself up to protect it. She's ready for anything he-

"Is she your favorite?" he hisses, eyes only for Bea.

Dread grows in the pit of her stomach, tight like a knot looping around her lungs and pulling down, down until she can't breathe and the only thing pounding in her ears is the roar of blood as it scream Bea's name. No, no, no.

Adriel takes a purposeful step forward. "You certainly seem to be hers."

And then he's before them, one hand outstretched as he tries to grab for Bea. A shock races through her, body twitching as she goes to intercept him, catching his arm in both of hers and twisting hard so he moves off balance. She sweeps a leg out, catching him in the ankle. He stumbles, doesn't go down, but he's off-balance enough that when she lifts her leg into the air and brings her heel down against his cheek, she hears a sickening crack as his bone shatters. He drops to the hard concrete, a sharp whistle where his breath should be.

Ava pushes Bea back behind her, one arm outstretched as if her tired and shaking limb could stop Beatrice from getting past her.

"You can take me. You can kill me." Ava rolls back an aching shoulder, listening to the soft click that comes when something is out of place. Her hand stretches, feeling Bea's finger graze hers. "But you won't touch her."

[fitzselfships]

Okay well yhe other ask was another anon being weird about a post I rbed like. About 2 weeks ago fhat was Literally just stating a boundary and acting like I'm close friends with the op (who I have Never interacted with outside of seeing them in the tags and occasionally rbing their posts??? I don't even follow them lmao) so ummmm I'm not even going to acknowledge these asks anymore. Next anon to send anything like that I'm just going to delete it

And btw if you're still stalking my blog fuck off. Get white smurf jumpscared <3

[sharkneto]

did you ever watch fargo? it has similar story beats to true detective, at least, season one (it’s another anthology type series, crime focused) there’s a dude in there who i think you’d get a kick out out of… very much quietly intensely batshit insane and Off™️ but somehow presents himself as the sanest one in the room. he’s rust cohle, in a way, but murderer, not detective

Thanks for the rec! Watched S1 over the past week or so. Was good but it frustrated me. Billy Bob Thornton Serial Killer was the highlight, you were right! He was very fun. What a weirdo.

I don't know if it was that I grew up in an area with accents like theirs so I was like, hyper aware They Are Doing An Accent, or that it was based on Coen Brother's work, but a lot of the characters felt... rather like caricatures? I don't know, something about it had a wall between me and it, where I wasn't immersed so they felt like We Are Actors On A Set Delivering Lines Really Well rather than I was in the moment, if that makes any sense. Maybe it was the monologues, Flannigan series can have the same affect to me.

Still, was a really good cast. I needed Martin Freeman to get his comeuppence like three episodes sooner, my god that man could just wiggle out of everything (SPOILER he sent his wife to get shot???? what the fuck is wrong with him. I was screaming SPOILER OVER). I always like it when Colin Hanks pops up in things. Allison Tolman and Billy Bob Thornton fucking carried the whole thing, they were the only two I didn't really get the I Am Delivering Lines With Emotion And This Thick Minnesotan Accent feeling.

Writing was generally tight, too. Good full circle moments and Chekov's guns, pieces came together in satisfying ways. Was fun to be rooting for Molly to catch her killers and for Billy Bob to fucking get Martin Freeman. I think it could have been one episode shorter, or skipped the time jump, to give the police a modicum more competence, they were killing me.

Idk if I'll watch the other seasons, I did enjoy it overall. Might check out the newest one because I'm a slut for Jon Hamm.

[kakusu-shipping]

Hi, I would like to understand why do you ship Mario and Luigi? You don't have to answer if it's not comfortable for you. 🙂

This soooooo immediately reads as a bait question, but I'm trusting you here anon I'm trusting you asked this in genuine good faith which I don't know why you would but if you want to know;

The short answer is Because I Want To and I Like Them. Plain and simple, there doesn't have to be a deeper reason. Sometimes we just ship things because we want to. Understood? Okay cool.

A slightly longer answer would be because they're the kind of Ship Dynamic that brings me the most comfort. I love a ship where they are each other's other half, they understand eachother and support eachother and just get eachother in ways no other person ever could. Loving eachother, being together is all they've ever known, they can't imagine a world where they're not together, side by side.

Platonic or Romantic aside, Mario and Luigi are a perfect pair, that's their entire thing. Mario is Reckless and Headstrong, Luigi is Calculating and Sturdy. Mario charges forward, Luigi holds the line. Mario picks mushrooms out of his spaghetti, and Luigi eats them. They fill in the gaps the other leaves, they compliment and communicate and trust one another undoubtedly.

I love a love like that. Of course it's you. It was always going to be you. It could never be anyone but you. I am not me without you, and you are not you without me. They are eachother's everything

They are a bonded pair, do not separate.

[sillayangel]

look I've been trying ok im not great at this whole seducing thing

HUHHHHH

[percabeth4life]

All the fandom talk bout how Jupiter/Zeus saving Thalia and not Jason favoritism nonsense. I mean can you blame him? If i was Jove I'd be pretty bummed I made someone as boring as Jason

alksdjf LMAO

[sekaicards]

IM SORRY FOR SAYING ENAS NOMAD CARD IS MID..,….,,,,, if it makes up for it her colorfes card is one of my faves and also all her lim hairstyles slay so hard 🫡

JSDGBHJSKJ NONONO DW YOU'RE FINE

[singsweetmelodies]

alright anons

[stormyoceans]

can i rant here a little bit? i hope you don't mind! okay so... i'm a big yinwar fan and have been since love mechanics (it was not a perfect show we know that but their chemistry was top tier), the partners in crime trailer was amazing tbh can't tell you how many times i've rewatched it it's just so good! and they did that just for a concert like good for them!!! so i was soooo excited about j&j! and i enjoyed the first episodes so much, it's a good show, it has social commentary it has good acting it has war wanarat it has slowburn (i looove a good slowburn) but at some point they... lost me? and i'm so sad about it lol because i love them! but like the last three episodes i found boring i was fast forwarding some scenes even, the pacing was weird, some decisions i didn't understand, the conflicts didn't hook me up at all, the tension they have been building up completely flattened for me, the kiss felt so anticlimactic 😭 i hate this, i guess i wanted to know your opinion maybe i need to give it some time or something idk idk i enjoyed sooooo much the first half of the show that's why i'm sad

hello, anon!!!!

first of all, please remember that if you need to rant about a show or even life in general, my ask box is always open and i will always gladly listen, so i don’t mind at all!!!!

about jack & joker…….oh boy. okay. i feel like someone is gonna snipe me out of the fandom by the end of this, but let’s talk about it. i want to preface this by saying that i appreciate this show a whole lot and that yinwar will always have my undying admiration and support for being able to put together a series like this without a company to back them up: they dared to do a unique plot without knowing how well it was going to be received, which is a risk that big consolidated companies are still too afraid to take ([coughs] GMMTV [coughs]), and they’re doing so while also serving great social commentary, complex characters, interesting dynamics, incredible acting, insane chemistry, and an actual slow burn

all this being said, i try my best to be objective and honest in my opinions, and while the show has all the elements that i love and that would normally make me go crazy, it’s unfortunately not working as much for me, and that’s because i agree that the show has MAJOR narrative and pacing issues. you actually nailed one of the main problems down, which is that the tension that was steadily building in the first few episodes, both plot-wise and relationship-wise, all of a sudden completely flattened out. and don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly fine to include moments where the pace is slowed down to add new information or character motivation, because while they do temporarily slow down the momentum of the story, they also help to make the later tension that much greater and more gripping, but after episodes 5 and 6 – after the group steals aran’s mother’s necklace back from rosé, after jack forgives joke, after aran gets disowned by his father and moves in with tattoo – the tension has had trouble picking up again

even if they included new conflicts – grandma getting sick, jack becoming boss’ adopted son and being forced to court rosé, the four horsemen – the narrative has started to crumble around the edges, because suddenly it has lost sight of the characters that it used to build tension up until that moment, and instead of releasing that tension, it just leaves you with all these loose threads that don’t really get tied up: how did tattoo and aran get closer? did aran’s father beat up any bodyguard in place of aran or was it always hope? is hope still recovering? is jack going to find out about what save did? how close jack and save even were? how did they meet? how did hope and save meet? i still have no idea who nang is for rosé and the boss and idk if i’ve missed something or ??????

and like im sure some of these questions will get an answer in the last three episodes, but the focus has shifted so much that whatever tension was built over them is now gone. i personally think they were able to raise it back up a little in episode 9 thanks to the heist and the group being back together (which is why i enjoyed it way more than the previous two), but the narrative feels very clunky to me. as for the kiss itself, i actually liked it, but i understand how the entire confession scene might feel a bit anticlimactic, and again i think it’s because all the tension they built up between jack and joke basically disappeared once jack forgave him. yes, the divorce era in episode 7 and 8 hurt, but by then the viewers already knew that the two of them had feelings for each other, and the entire thing with rosé was never really a threat to their relationship, so you’re just waiting for them to confess. they could have made the tension rise again by making them do that in the heat of the moment (while arguing, after one of them got hurt, etc.), but i guess they wanted that to be a small moment of peaceful joy for them, so i appreciate it

this got so incredibly long so im shutting up now, but the point is. i very much feel the same way as you, anon, and believe me when i say im also incredibly sad that im not going crazy over the show like i wished to. it’s still probably gonna make it into my top 10 BLs of the year for a couple of different reasons, but yeah, for what is worth, you’re not alone

let’s hope the last three episodes can up the stakes and tie up all the loose ends somewhat nicely!!!!

[masonscig]

RE: your post about Rebecca.

To add onto this mess,lets not forget that she is the reason why that teenage boy died in the fist book. Like she knew the entire time who the murderer was and didn't do anything to stop him to "keep the detective safe 🥺" . But that boy is literally dead because of her and it's never brought up.

YOU'RE SO RIGHT !!!! like oh my god, if you wanted to repair/maintain your relationship with your child, why would you? keep secrets that are getting OTHER people killed on the detective's watch?

like it clearly was backfiring on the detective bc both the captain and bobby were pressuring them from either side – there was a limit to what the det. could actually even do because of the little knowledge they had of the whole situation !!! so for rebecca to just. *know* that this was going to happen. UGH. it frustrates me to no end because whether or not the det. is worried more about themselves or the townspeople, why should rebecca get to decide that her child's life is more important than someone else's?

[inkykeiji]

im fully convinced flawless tomura gets the WORST mancolds

he’s always whining that he’s not gonna make it or that he wants to be put out of his misery despite only having a minor cold or flu and demands to have ice cream and sweets despite reader insisting they won’t help him get better (but he gets his way anyway because he’s our beloved crunchy gamer daddy <3)

- 🌿

OOOOH HEHEHE i wrote a lil piece about him being sick right here but i can totally see what you’re saying, yes!!! because the man absolutely does not take good or proper care of himself, and he often snaps and is extraordinarily uncooperative with anyone who does try to take care of him <3 AND YET, despite his reluctance and vehement resistance/aversion to taking proper care of himself + allowing others to take proper care of him, he has the damn audacity to whine when his lifestyle and behaviours catch up with him and leave him bedridden for a week! his rampant drug binges def do not help the situation, and he becomes infinitely more bratty and entitled whenever he’s ill. it makes denying him his (extremely, outrageously high) daily dose of sugar and convincing him to take medication or drink something other than soda and energy drinks that much more difficult >.> god bless kurogiri’s soul.

he insists you stay with him, baby him, and give him whatever he asks for, the very instant he asks for it. his clinginess is turned up to eleven, and all he wants you to do is pet his hair and coo at how sick he is.

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia, I was talking to a friend the other day and we were debating whether it was ok or not to enjoy media made by people with different political views than your own.

She said it wasn't but I said it depends on the person but also because I think we shouldn't self-censor ourselves or judge the quality of the media by the opinions of the person/s making it. As someone who's studied media what are your takes on this? Thanks in advance ( ^_^)

Anon, this subject is way too broad for me to answer in a single post response.

It also highly depends on what the media is, and what the politics are. There's a difference between consuming something (and giving money to someone) who's just a mild asshole, and someone who is a literal rapist and has never experienced consequences for it, or someone who is literally giving money to movements that will indirectly cause the deaths of trans teenagers and is still actively doing that / not dead yet.

If you're the kind of person to give money to someone who will contribute - and has contributed - to the deaths of trans teenagers, well it's a free world and you can do that, but maybe don't expect to keep a lot of your trans friends and trans ally friends, and you yourself would not be a trans ally. You're not self-censoring, and the world isn't stopping you from doing that, but you might be someone who needs to feel more empathy for the people around you, or work on understanding why giving money to folks with monstrous politics leads to more monstrous politics.

If you don't want to live in that kind of world, you have choices you can make. But they're your choices.

It's not 'censoring' myself to choose not to participate in the works of something by someone who is doing things that could lead to a less safe world for me and fellow trans people as an example. I'm making a choice because I care about other people and because I genuinely would not enjoy the works of a person who created stuff who has said online: 'If you participate in my created works I'm going to assume you support my views (and so will everyone else).'

Making personal choices like this is not censoring, anon. (And I'm pro-censorship, lol, so even if it was, I'd still be like 'yeah contextually sometimes you have to' - censoring =/= banning). Technically censorship is something that can only be done by controlling bodies and government authorities anyway.

But we have to make choices all the time. If your friend is raped by another friend of yours, but that second friend buys you dinner all the time, do you keep seeing that second friend because like, hey free dinner! If your answer to this question is 'of course I would' - then like, well, I don't know what to say to that. We probably can't have a meaningful conversation about compassion or humanity.

Different levels of politics have different ramifications to different areas of society and different people. I'm trans, so I'm not going to support transphobic creators. It's really that simple for me. I don't want my fellow trans people to keep getting hurt by anti-trans rhetoric, and I'm pretty tired of it myself, so I avoid it, and I avoid the people who support folks who literally enable it to keep happening. It's an active issue with active and current repercussions. We're not talking in this instance about the politics of a dead author who can't hurt anyone anymore, or someone in prison, or someone who is so old they have disappeared offline into the ether.

If, on the other hand, I find out someone's a Republican but in all other ways they're mostly just living their life and not trying to actively harm people by funneling all of their personal money into things that will like...cause suicides due to promoting say, transphobia, then yeah, I might still engage with their stuff or support their stuff.

Likewise, if I watch or give money to a movie made by Weinstein, I will often think of all the other crew members and actors who had nothing to do with that behaviour who still deserve residuals or royalties.

Some cases are complicated, but some aren't. Some really are 'this person has said they will give their money to causes and governments that want to hurt us and eradicate us' and supporting that is the action of a transphobic person, even if that person doesn't feel transphobic. If the actions cause more hate towards trans people, it's a transphobic action, and it's kind of that simple.' And trust me, you can be trans and still be transphobic. We see internalised phobias all the time, everywhere.

Yes, I'm talking about JKR here, because I find this kind of question is usually about some obviously monstrous living person who is still doing monstrous things in a very ongoing way, vs. just a regular 'hey I found out this writer is pro-fracking and I hate fracking what do I do' or 'hey this author writes a ship I don't like should I hate them.'

(Look this might not be about JKR but it's certainly the first thing that's going to come to most trans people's minds and I'm trans, anon).